City of Rochester
News Release
Facilities Project Management Company Welcomed to Southeast Quadrant
(Wednesday, November 4, 2009) — Vargas Associates, Inc., a facilities project management, relocation management and interior design firm celebrated the grand opening of its new headquarters in the city today. City Neighborhood and Business Development Commissioner R. Carlos Carballada presided over a ribbon cutting ceremony with the company’s president, Christine M. Vargas, and vice president, Fina Santiago, at Vargas Associates, Inc., 40 Humboldt St.
“Welcoming new businesses to the city is always a wonderful thing and we are very grateful that Vargas Associates chose Rochester,” said Carballada. “We are fully committed to becoming critical partners with entrepreneurs such as Ms. Vargas and making Rochester the best mid-sized city in America.”
Vargas Associates oversees renovations for business owners and offers interior design, relocation management, furniture coordination and asset inventory management. Some of the firm’s clients are the University of Rochester Medical Center, Xerox Corporation, Wegmans Food Markets, the City of Rochester, Carestream Health, Albany Public Library, various K-12 school districts, the Eastman School of Music, SUNY Colleges and many of the area’s growing businesses.
Incorporated in March 2004, the WBE (Woman-Owned Business Enterprise) company’s employees initially worked from home to keep overhead low during the critical start-up years. By 2008, the company had grown to the point where daily collaboration on projects created the need for office space. Vargas decided on the Humboldt Street facility because it provided the necessary footprint and is centrally located, convenient to I-590 and I-490. The building is also eligible for NYS Empire Zone benefits.
“Once we started our search for a new home, we believed it was important to find a location in the city,” Vargas said.
The office space has undergone a complete renovation. Vargas utilized many of the best practices they apply to their client projects, enabling them to deliver a $60 per sq. ft. renovation for approximately $20 per sq. ft. The company brought a net total of 3.5 new jobs to the City and is projecting a total of five new hires. To support ongoing growth, Vargas Associates has leased office space at 40 Humboldt Street and expect to make a total investment of over $100,000 in building renovations, furniture, fixtures and equipment and other Web site improvements. They also expect to add more space in the near future.
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News Media: For more information, contact Neighborhood and Business Development Commissioner R. Carlos Carballada at 428-8801.